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Content Warning: This chapter as well as the majority of the story will contain content, themes, and language which some may find offensive.

Within Reach

Chapter 1 Prom Night

*~Bella Swan~*

"Bella, honey, I can't get over how beautiful you look," Mom whispered, wrapping me in a tight hug. She was crying again.

"Mom, you're gonna smash my corsage." My voice came out as a whine. It was normal for her to embarrass me like that. I didn't mind so much that Jake was around to see it – his mom was ten times worse – always kissing his cheeks and calling him baby boy, but Ben and Angela were here sharing a limo with us. Their parents probably didn't coo and fuss over them like this. "We're going to be late. Remember, we still have to stop at Jake's so his Mom can fuss over us too."

"Oh... fine," she mumbled feigning irritation. "You know me. I never got to go to my own prom, so of course I will stop at nothing to live vicariously through my little girl's." She always knew how to play the guilt card. Of course she had to remind me that Charlie, my father, couldn't take her to prom because they were at the hospital welcoming me into the world.

"Good night, Mom," I whispered sadly, giving her a comforting kiss on the cheek before I took Jacob's hand, letting him lead me to the limo.

"Be safe, and you better be back before 3 a.m." she called from behind me.

"Your Mom seems nice," Ben commented politely. I didn't know him all that well since he went to an all boys Catholic school, while Angela, Jake and me went to Franklin High, which was a nearby public school. He and Ang started dating after meeting during acting classes at a local theatre group.

"She's a bit... sentimental," I explained. Ever since she and my dad decided to get divorced, Mom has been depressed. That was over two years ago, and she hadn't moved on yet – not like Dad had.

He'd been dating a woman named Sue for several months. They seemed pretty happy.

It didn't take long for the limo to get to Jake's house since he only lived a couple blocks from me. Just as I suspected, his mom and sisters were already standing in the doorway with cameras, and a digital video recorder.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I whispered in Jake's ear making him laugh.

"Mom's just happy that I'm not taking a guy to prom," he said rolling his dark eyes dramatically.

Angela and I chuckled, knowing that if Jake had his way, he'd be escorting the extremely straight, Jared Cameron, to prom instead of me. He was as bad as I was – wishing for that unattainable someone – knowing that they can never be yours – that sometimes, life just wasn't fair.

After another half hour of being photographed and fussed over, the four of us were finally able to relax and enjoy ourselves.

.

.

"Come on Jake, you have to tell us," Angela whined, begging for what was likely the hundredth time for Jake to reveal how he managed to reserve a table for four at Canlis – on prom night no less.

Jake leaned forward, as if to share some dire secret. "Let's just say it's all in who you blow... I mean know," he said with a smirk making us laugh so loud the driver probably thought we were on drugs.

Canlis was one of the premier fine dining establishments in Seattle, so getting a reservation for prom night was practically unheard of. "Everyone's going to be so fucking jealous when they hear," Angela gushed, while Jake already had the camera app open on his phone, ready to document the entire momentous occasion – ready for immediate feedback via Facebook. No need to actually tell anyone – they'd know before we even made it to prom.

When we arrived at the restaurant, for a moment, I got a bit nervous, noticing all the impeccably dressed men and women, but before I could feel too self-conscious, I glanced down at the dark, blue silk dress that fit my body like a glove. I had to remind myself that I looked just as good – if not better than those people and though we weren't each other's type, I did have an extremely hot date in my very best friend, Jake.

As the maitre de scanned the list of reservations, I couldn't help but squeeze Jake's arm in concern – holding my breath. So far, everything was going well, and I couldn't help but feel like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Luckily though, the maitre de greeted us warmly agreeing that he did indeed have a reservation for four under the name 'Black'. "What did I tell you guys?" Jake whispered smugly as we were led to our seats.

It wasn't a great table – near the restrooms actually, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and we were in fact about to dine at a five star restaurant, so the food would be good no matter where we sat.

Like a gentleman, Jake was there ready to pull out my chair. Jokingly, I batted my eyelashes at him, giving him my most seductive smile. "You're going to kill some unsuspecting man with that smile someday, Swan," Jacob teased. I sighed despondently. He knew the idea of me being with anyone in the future was a sore subject.

I supposed, I was like my mom in that way. When you meet the one person that makes your pulse quicken, your insides turn to mush – the one that makes you ache and sets a fire of longing between your legs – well, you tend not to forget that person so easily.

It wasn't long before the four of us were enjoying appetizers. Jake and Angela were both examining them, trying to guess what the mushy green substance next to the tuna was before the waiter came back. I would have told them it was wasabi had I not become completely and utterly overwhelmed with pain.

He was here.

All the usual reactions I had in his presence were back in full effect – pounding heart, pulse too fast, mushy insides, that longing-between-the-legs ache, all of it there, but this time it was accompanied by a painful throb, deep in my chest.

I knew I was being ridiculous. He was beautiful, so of course he was with someone. I knew that was always a possibility, though I never really worried about it – at least not until I was forced to witness it with my own eyes.

I wanted the pain to stop, for her to go away. I wanted him to stand up from their table ignoring the curvy brunette, with hair much longer and straighter than mine, and for him to pull me from my chair into his strong arms. I wanted.

It wasn't long before my lack of participation was noticed and my friends were there pulling me back into the conversation. I reacted appropriately and even commented here and there, but I was still unable to tear my gaze away from the delicious man sitting just couple yards away, angling his chair toward his date.

The dark intensity in his eyes, the sexy seductive way he commanded her with just a look was beyond any fantasy I'd ever created of him in my head.

For what seemed like hours, I was staring at them, finding it easy to envision myself as the curvy brunette garnering his attention, so much so that I barely noticed when Jake stood to go to the restroom, while Ben and Angela began chatting quietly, leaning toward each other.

I imagined our conversation, him telling me I looked beautiful, whispering all the dirty things he wanted to do to me when we got back to his place – his long slender fingers teasing dangerously close to the apex of my thighs.

Being able to actually stare at his face while I fantasized about him moving inside me was almost enough to make me come. Feeling overly achy and aroused, I clenched my thighs together, and continued staring at the couple.

In one brief moment, everything at their table began to shift. Things suddenly didn't look so amicable between them.

It was impossible to stifle the soft gasp that left my lips as the brunette moved quickly, jerking backward slightly from the table as if she'd been burned. Her head darted back and forth frantically around the room, searching for something, maybe to see if anyone had witnessed her strange behavior.

Thankfully, she didn't turn toward me, but back to a confused and very frustrated looking man.

I could tell the conversation between them was getting a bit heated and in a moment, she was up and storming off toward the restroom, while he simply sat there sipping a beer, looking irritated and just absolutely perfect.

I knew my behavior was bordering on stalkerish, and was completely unhealthy, but in that moment I couldn't help myself. Quickly, I excused myself, walking toward the ladies room, hoping to get a better glimpse of this woman he thought was worthy enough to bring to a place like Canlis.

When I entered the bathroom, I could hear the sound of a woman's soft sobs. Had that woman not been crying over the man I... over him, I might have been a bit more compassionate toward her obvious plight. Not wanting to seem too suspicious, I slipped into an empty stall and used the opportunity to actually use the restroom, all the while hoping I might get a bit of insight.

Women like to complain to other women, or so I assumed. Maybe she'd be the type of person who poured out their feelings to perfect strangers. Maybe she'd tell me about him.

By the time I was out of the stall she was already drying her hands, no sign of tears in her deep blue eyes.

She was pretty good at masking her feelings.

Realizing I wasn't going to get that coveted bathroom conversation, I made my way to the sink, cursing under my breath as she slipped out the door.

Defeated, I gave myself a once over in the mirror, mildly happy with what I found. After seeing the brunette's face, my unfounded hatred was lessened slightly by the fact that she wasn't quite as stunning as I'd imagined based on what I'd seen of the rest of her body.

Wow... I sound bitter.

For a moment, I stood there, almost dreading the idea of going back to the dining room.

I could just imagine the two of them making up. Kissing and caressing each other apologetically over a deliciously sensual meal.

The idea almost had me turning back to the toilet to hurl, but I went forward, slowly but surely making my way out the bathroom door, from which I nearly stalked back to my seat until a flicker of movement and slightly hushed voices caught my attention from a dark corner. The couple probably assumed they were away from most prying eyes. They weren't.

"This just isn't working, Charlotte," he said quietly, not a whisper or a shout, just something in between.

"I can tell you're not in this with me anymore."

"I'm sorry, Sir," she told him, looking toward the floor.

"I can recommend another Dom for you if that's what you need," he offered, his voice still steady, intense, yet unaffected. His words struck a deep chord in me, though – another Dom?

Dom.

"That won't be necessary, Sir," she replied, still unable to look at him. My eyes were fixed though as I watched from the entrance to the restroom toward the oblivious couple. "I've... met someone. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I just wasn't ready to give you up just yet."

"He's not a Dom is he?" he replied and the woman shook her head sadly. "...And he doesn't know about your needs." Again, another head shake.

Since the brunette, Charlotte, no longer seemed as threatening to me, I almost started to feel pity for her. I might have been more concerned had that one word not been playing on loop in my head.

Dom.

Dom.

Dom.

He was a Dominant.

I had to pinch myself, make sure I wasn't stuck in some strangely erotic dream where all my darkest fantasies were about to come to fruition.

I had to blame all the smutty romance novels I bought to read on my Kindle. Mom had no clue about the depraved and perverted stories I read on a daily basis. I had my own spending account and credit card courtesy of my guilt-ridden father and could buy pretty much whatever I wanted so long as I stayed within my monthly allowance. This small bit of freedom allowed me to explore my wants and desires much sooner than a girl my age might have in the past.

For the last two years, all my fantasies starred him. Most ranged from gentle passionate love-making to possessively intense, hardcore fucking. Though I'd yet to experience either, my mind was so ripe with lust that I sometimes wondered if I was going insane.

"Will you find another Submissive?" she asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Eventually." His words were released with a sigh of slight annoyance.

"You know, Vicki's had her eyes on you for years," Charlotte told him, her voice almost teasing.

He shot her a look of surprise and disgust before catching on to whatever joke she'd been making. "I'm sure Vicki has her hands quite full with James, but just to be safe. Let's keep my sudden single status to ourselves for now." He gave her a smirk, the very same one I'd found myself swooning over numerous times in the past. "I'll find someone else when I'm ready. When I have time to look."

Suddenly, I felt eyes on me. Defensively, I turned around, not at all expecting Jake's questioning gaze.

"What happened, Swan? You fall in or something?"

I forced a laugh, turning around quietly to follow him back to our table where our entrees were just being delivered.

I tried my best to join in their conversation, but my thoughts kept straying back to the more interesting one still going on in the hall, back to him and the seemingly valuable information I'd gained.

I wasn't sure if the new knowledge made him more attainable to me or less – I definitely wanted to find out.

Jake was just leaning toward me offering me a bite of his food when I heard his voice again, this time it came from behind me.

"Isabella?" he said sounding slightly surprised, his voice flowing sensually from his lips like honey and silk sliding between my thighs.

Before turning around, I composed the shocked expression on my face, not wanting to freak him out.

"Oh hello, Dr. Cullen. How are you?" I responded pleasantly.

"I'm fine, though I guess I should be asking you that question. After all, you were the one who came in with a cold three times in the last five months." I wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or flattered that he remembered the number of times I'd seen him recently.

I could hear the teasing tone in his voice. Had he been looking at me with the same intensity he'd given the brunette earlier, I might have thought he was flirting with me, but this wasn't much different from our usual banter.

I was still just a kid in his eyes – one of his patients.

"This is Dr. Cullen... he's my physician," I introduced nervously.

"Are you kids going to prom?" the brunette asked, suddenly appearing at Dr. Cullen's side, her face much more composed than before.

Kids – the word burned like acid in my ears.

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied politely, hoping my wording choice made her as uncomfortable as her use of the word 'kids' had made me.

Up close, I could tell she was several years older than I was, maybe twenty-four, but that meant she was also several years younger than Dr. Cullen. He was thirty-five if I wasn't mistaken – well beyond my grasp.

"You all look so handsome," she cooed.

Handsome – what the fuck?

Dr. Cullen cleared his throat uncomfortably, giving the brunette what appeared to be some unspoken command. She promptly walked back to the table they'd been sharing before the hallway confrontation.

When she was finally out of the way, I was able to really take him in. Study his every line and angle, the curve of his lightly muscled arms beneath his perfectly cut dinner jacket, the erotic tease of sparse chest hair peeking over his dress shirt, begging to be touched and kissed. Worshipped.

Most of the men I saw around the restaurant were dressed sharply in suits and ties, or tuxedos like Jake and Ben, but Dr. Cullen exuded confidence, forgoing a stuffy tie with his suit in favor leaving his top two buttons undone. He pulled the look off with masterful ease.

As my eyes lifted, meeting his, I felt my cheeks coloring in response to his raised brow and the question I saw in his green gaze.

Oh God... he caught me checking him out.

"I'll just leave you to your meals. Have a safe evening," he said suddenly with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Isabella," he whispered finally, a parting dismissal that made me weak in the knees.

I was still staring as he made his way back to the table, unable to take my eyes off his retreating form.

"You two are ridiculous," Angela said with a laugh, motioning toward Jake and me, making me realize that Jake and I were staring at the same thing – Dr. Cullen's well-toned ass. "If you guys don't stop drooling we'll have to get another table – one that isn't drenched in bodily fluids."

I nearly choked at that one. Was it obvious how wet he made me? Surely no one could sense the liquid desire that pooled between my thighs, a product of the hollow ache only Dr. Cullen could cure.

After his sudden departure, I did my best to focus on my friends, knowing that my little obsession would only get worse if I spent all my time dwelling on him – on something I could never have.

.

.

"Holy shit, that was one expensive meal," I muttered under my breath.

Jake just winked and pulled out a shiny American Express with his father's name on it. The whole thing just reeked of guilty father syndrome. I recognized the symptoms from my own experiences with Charlie, though his contribution wasn't quite as substantial as Jake's dads, which was to be expected since he was a simple police chief in a small town, whereas Mr. Black was a high-powered attorney here in Seattle from a fairly affluent family.

Despite Ben's vehement insistence, Jake ended up paying for the entire meal and a huge gratuity, siting that Ben could buy us all dessert from the IHOP near our neighborhood after prom ended tonight. It was by no means a fair trade, but Ben accepted regardless.

Before leaving, I chanced a final glance at Dr. Cullen's table and found it sadly empty.

"Ready to go?" Jake asked guiding me toward the exit.

I gave him my best smile, hoping my sour mood hadn't turned it into a grimace. "Yep."

Suddenly a cute guy, probably in his early twenties stepped up behind Jake, tapping him on the shoulder. He was obviously from the kitchen, based on his dark chef's cap and restaurant uniform. Jake spun around giving the guy a brilliant smile. "Bella this is Embry," he introduced. "Embry this is my best friend Bella." Ahh... the blow job guy!

Jake could be so obvious sometimes. I loved how he emphasized our relationship status to guys he liked, since having me around could easily cause him to lose potential dates.

I greeted Embry, shaking his hand politely before noticing Angela and Ben already on their way out to the limo.

"I'll just give you two a few minutes. It was nice meeting you Embry." Before he could protest, I left Jake with his adorable chef friend, and started toward the exit.

"Has your date abandoned you for one of the kitchen staff?" I heard him before I saw him, and found myself spinning comically in search of his location. I finally found him watching me curiously beside a column that had hidden him from me while I was still in the dining area.

"He's not my date... well he is, but we're just friends," I offered, suddenly shy and unable to meet his eyes. I could feel his dark green gaze burning into me as I bowed my head slightly.

"I see," he replied stiffly.

"He probably would have preferred to take another boy to prom, but when he agreed to go with me, he wasn't with anyone at the time." Wow... I was just as bad as Jake.

"And you, Isabella? Lovely young girl like you must have had the boys lined up around the block to take you out." The teasing tone was back. I wasn't sure whether I was more sad or relieved.

"After I agreed to go with Jake, I didn't have to turn anyone down. Word travels fast." I explained.

"Well, I must say, you'll be breaking quite a few hearts tonight. You do look quite stunning," he admitted, looking almost as if it pained him to do so. Curious.

The brunette's words came back to me – the way she addressed him respectively. Who he really was.

"Thank you, Sir," I breathed, turning my head downcast. I heard him mutter a quiet curse, making my heart beat just a little faster. It was enough of a confirmation that my submissive demeanor and use of the authoritative title had clearly affected him.

"You ready, Bella?" Jake said suddenly behind me, his hand moving to the small of my back in a gesture that might have looked possessive to the outside world, but between Jake and me, it was a merely his way of providing comfort and reassurance. I nodded my reply, eyes fixed on Dr. Cullen's shiny shoes.

"Nice to meet you Dr. C."

"And you, Jake," he replied in a voice that sounded tight and strained.

"Goodnight, Dr. Cullen," I said, finally looking up at him, his green eyes dark and intelligent, penetrating mine, almost searching.

I lost my breath.

"Goodnight, Isabella."

.

Prom went by in a blur, and though my thoughts were reeling, I still managed to enjoy myself.

Jake's place by my side proved to be invaluable on several occasions. Most often when various guys from my class tried to guilt me into dancing with them, citing the fact that in a month, very few of us would even see each other again. Personally, I was grateful that I wouldn't be seeing any of them again, but I wasn't the type to be rude. That was Jake's job, which he handled with a practised flare - dismissing the guys, sending them back to their respective dates.

Once our momentous night of fun and dancing was over, the limo left IHOP to take each of us home. I got there a few minutes after three, finding my mom on the couch watching reruns of Friends and eating popcorn. Of course I was a little late, but Mom was no tirant. She never even mentioned it. She was probably just happy I made it home in one piece. As exhausted as we both were, she and I stayed up for nearly an hour after that talking about our night. Of course she'd already seen the pictures Jake uploaded to Facebook, but she still wanted to know what it was like.

Around four in the morning, I made my way up to my bedroom, undressing, carefully laying out my gown so it could be bagged, likely never to be worn again.

As soon as my head hit the pillow my thoughts drifted back to Dr. Cullen. I just couldn't seem to get over his reaction to my change in demeanor, nor could I get over how much I wanted to try it again.

All I could think about was walking into a dark and sensual room in nothing but a silky robe.

I let it fall to the floor, pooling at my feet, leaving me naked, exposed. I hear his measured footsteps approaching the room, and I know I need to be ready for him. Quickly, I drop to my knees, back straight, head downcast, eyes closed – waiting for him.

Of course in my fantasy, I had no gag reflex and could suck him better than any of his previous subs, but that didn't matter I still came harder and faster than ever before just from the thought of submitting to Dr. Cullen.

I wanted it more than anything and if I ever wanted it to happen, I was going to have to put myself out there – let Dr. Cullen know that it was him I wanted.

First I needed a plan.

A/N After much thought I've decided to return Within Reach back to its previous status. It might get pulled who knows, but I'm bringing it back . Thanks for your continued support!

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